Sign.



G. H. LAWRENCE..

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2l, 1912.

1 059,546 Patented Apr.22,1913.

v I A lA- l l SH01/nuja CQLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co.. wASHxNGToN. D. c.

GEORGE H. LAWRENCE, 0F COLFAX, WASHINGTON.

SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. '22, 1913.

Application led March 21, 1912. Serial No. 685,311.

T 0 all whom 25 may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE H. LAW- RENGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colfax, in the county of Vhltman and State of VVashingt-on, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exa-ct description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to signs, and more especially to those which are illuminated; and the object of the same is to produce motor-driven mechanism for revolving such a sign intermittently so that the legends which are .inscribed upon its different faces may be successively illuminated and exposed to view. This and other objects are accomplished by the specific construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a general front elevation of this sign complete, with its actuating mechanism. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the hub at that end of the sign where the actuating mechanism is located. Figs. 3 and Ll are cross sections on the lines 3-8 and 4 4 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings the letter S designates a sign whose framework is hollow or open, and whose body is by preference of glass and hollow and may be cylindrical or polygonal, and I are incandescent bulbs situated within reectors and supported by rods R which stand in alinement with each other and preferably horizontal and project from suitable upright supports forming no part of the present invention; and the wires W for said bulbs lead through the rods R as indicated in dotted lines. The surface of the sign is painted or otherwise inscribed with suitable legends disposed equi-distant from each other if the signbody be cylindrical or upon its several faces 4if it be polygonal, and that legend which stands toward the front is brought into prominence in the night time by the light in a manner which willbe clear. The object of the present invention is to provide improved mechanism for turning this sign intermittently from one of the hubs H on its framework, which hubs are tubular and are journaled upon the rods R, as will now be described in detail.

Collars l are secured upon the rods R adjust-ably as by means of set screws 2 and set so as to bear frictionally against the extremities of the hubs H to retain the sign properly in position upon its support and hold it frictionally against a retrograde movement when its actuating mechanism is retracted preparatory to turning the sign forward for another step, although any other suitable retaining mechanism may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention. One of said hubs is provided ext-eriorly with as many notches 3 as there are faces to the sign if it be polygonal or legends upon it if it be cylindrical.

The numeral 4: designates a crank wheel mounted on a shaft 5 driven by a suitable motor (not shown) land forming' no part of this invention, and said wheel has a crank pin 6 on which is pivoted one end of a pitman rod 7 The numeral 10 designates a yoke having eyes 11 at the extremities of its arms which loosely surround the hub H at opposite/sides of its series of notches 3, and between the adjacent collar 1 and the end of the framework; and the stem 12 of this yoke is pivoted at 13 to the other end of said pitman rod.. yoke is a pawl 15 pressed normally inward by means of a spring 16, and the tip of this pawl is adapted to engage any of said notches 3.

By means of this construction, rotary motion from a suitable source communicated to the shaft 5 causes the crank wheel Ll and pitman 7 to swing the stem 12 of the yoke 10 so that its eyes oscillate around the axis of the hub H, and the extent of the oscillation is to be commensurate with the distance between the notches which latter, as above stated, are of equal number with the legends on the sign S. As the stem is moved in one direction, the spring actuated pawl in rising moves loosely out of one notch 3 and drops into the next, and as the stem 12 is moved in the other direction on its return movement, the tip of the pawl engaging notch 3 causes the hub I-I to turn, and with it the entire sign is turned around its supports, whichare the rods It, and thereby the next legend is brought into view. The parts are all of the desired sizes, shapes, proportions and materials. By the word sign as employed herein I desire to be understood as including any revolving article for display purposes such as Pivoted at 14 within the fork of the illuminated models, busts, or show cases of the kind intended for displaying clothing and the like, on the street or in store windows. I have described the sign as painted upon the surface, but it will Abe clear that the legends may be painted inside of the same or the glass panels may be inscribed with legends by other means than painting. I have shown the sign as horizontal, but obviously it might be upright.

Nhat is claimed as new is:

The combination with a sign comprising a hollon7 framework and a transparent body having legends thereon, tubular hubs at the extremities of its framework, one of the hubs having notches in its exterior corresponding in number with said legends, rods on which said hubs are journaled, and. illuminating means for the sign; of collars on said rods in frictional contact with the outer extremities of the hubs, a yoke whose arms have eyes loosely embracing said notched hub at opposite sides of the notches therein and between said collar and the adjacent end of the framework, a spring-actuated pawl pivoted in the fork of the yoke and engaging said notches successively, a power-driven pulley having a crank pin, and a pitman rod connect-ing said pin with the stem of said yoke, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE H. LAWRENCE. I

Witnesses:

RAY W. VALTER, E. E. KENNEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

